


All That Glitters Is NOT Gold

by Che_Butter



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: "Mobilium", Borgin and Burkes, Gen, Helga Hufflepuff's Cup, Hepzibah Smith's Treasure Room, Non-Consensual Bondage, Non-Sexual Bondage, Slytherin's Locket, Spellotape
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-16
Updated: 2020-04-28
Packaged: 2021-03-01 16:34:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23680153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Che_Butter/pseuds/Che_Butter
Summary: Hepzibah Smith is a collector that prides herself on obtaining the rarest and most beautiful of artifacts, while 18-year-old Tom Riddle is the top salesman at Borgin and Burkes. While extremely skilled in the art of manipulation, Tom may have finally met his match when he comes to realize that he wasn't the only one harboring an ulterior motive.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 2





	1. The Visit

**Author's Note:**

> Hello Ao3!
> 
> Thanks to all the wonderful reviews I have been receiving the last few days, I have been having more bouts of inspiration! Which is wonderful! Thank you!
> 
> This writing was formulated from an idea I had regarding the encounter with Hepzibah Smith, proclaimed descendant of Hufflepuff and a Borgin and Burkes employed Tom Riddle! I figured it might be interesting to make it so that Tom isn't the only one who has a hidden agenda. 
> 
> Happy reading!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What started out as just a typical boring visit with the extremely narcissistic Hepzibah Smith, ends up with Tom Riddle having to completely rethink his original plans.

Hepzibah Smith was a very vain but excited woman. Tom, the latest objection of her affections would be arriving in mere moments and she wanted their meeting to be perfect.

She adjusted the pillows around her, as her massive pink robed figure strengthen itself into a more dignified seating posture. Her house-elf, Hokie, carefully held up the large mirror so that the old woman could quickly put more blush on her cheeks. The witch had to make sure she looked the part for her attractive visitor. Her chubby face turned slowly from side to side as she admired herself.

“I think that’s enough of that Hokie. Put the mirror away and bring me an empty vase for Mr. Riddle’s flowers. He will most certainly be bringing me some.”

Hokie wasted no time in moving the mirror and apparating to fulfill her mistress’s request, leaving Hepzibah alone for but a moment. She reappeared with a simple cylinder vase in her wrinkled hands. The ancient house-elf placed it on the little table before her owner and then proceeded to tilt her head, obviously listening to something that the witch herself could not.

“Madam, Mr. Riddle has arrived. Should I go and retrieve him?”

“Yes Hokie. Do that.” The woman said curtly. Hokie did a quick bow once more before vanishing. A rather silly thought popped in the witch's head as she glanced at the vase set in front of her. Tom Riddle always brought her flowers, but was that something he did for all his female clients during his visits? 

Hepzibah didn’t want to think about it, but the likelihood of such a thing occurring was high. After all Tom in one of their previous encounters, told the aging woman that he was recently appointed Borgin and Burkes top salesmen. The young man had to be doing something right to receive that high honor. 

Her debate with herself quickly stopped though when the said salesman walked into the room after being formally introduced by Hokie. The woman's eyes caught the huge bouquet of purple flowers propped in her visitor's hands with glee. She smiled at the motion, knowing deep down, that if she continued to play her cards right, the handsome man would soon be hers and hers alone.

“Good afternoon Mrs. Hepzibah. It is a pleasure to be meeting with you today.” 

“It is a pleasure to be seeing you as well Tom!” She said warmly. “Please give Hokie the flowers and come join me!”

The house-elf barely had time to put her hands out, before Tom had roughly handed her the Lillies. The flowers completely blocked the little elf's vision and nearly toppled the ancient servant over from their shared weight. Hokie, however, did not complain. It was after all the elf's job to serve her esteemed madam in any way that was requested of her. The servant had no sooner put the plants in the vase and given them water when her mistress ordered her to make 2 cups of freshly made hot chocolate. Hokie bowed before attending to the new demand.

“So, Tom has your morning been eventful?”

Tom tilted his head a little at the question, reminding Hepzibah of an adorable child that wasn’t quite sure how to respond. The witch found innocent traits such as that to be quite endearing.

“Quite.” The stunning man replied. His voice while deep had a slight tone of amusement interlaced in the words. “I have been looking forward to meeting with you madam. I fear not everyone I encounter is as accommodating nor friendly as you always seem to be.”

“Well, I am one of a kind.” The woman answered with obvious pride. She pushed a fake ginger curl out of her face as Hokie suddenly appeared, carrying a small tray that consisted of 2 steaming glass cups. “You won’t find anyone around this town as understanding or beautiful. Am I correct Hokie?”

“Yes, madam.” The elf quickly responded. The servant's entire concentration returning to handing each of the glass cups to their selected individuals. Tom’s cup while beautiful was not as fancy as Hepzibah's. It was an unspoken sign that the older woman still felt that her looks bypassed Tom’s.

The motion did not go unnoticed by the said salesman though. Who made no move to correct the accusation but paused when accepting the glass handed to him. In the briefest of moments though any sort of hesitation was replaced by the charming facade that Hepzibah had come to accept. 

Hokie, however, had noticed the slight change of demeanor in her madam’s guest but her mistress appeared unknowing. With a short wordless dismissal from her owner, the servant obeyed leaving the two humans alone.

“Well, as always I appreciate your interest in my day.” Tom started, his reddish eyes boring into the large woman's green ones, studying her facial features with such intensity that Hepzibah felt herself melt in the gaze. Tom Riddle was stunning, even more so when he randomly cocked an eyebrow as if he was hearing everything going on in her scattered brain.

“I am assuming your day as been pleasant as well Mrs. Hepzibah?”

“Yes, very much so, thank you for asking. But please just call me Hepzibah, Tom. Calling me Mrs., makes me feel old.”

Tom gave off a little laugh that sounded like harmonized angels.

“You most certainly do not appear old to me. But I will respect your wishes, Hepzibah. My apologies.”

Oh, Circe! Was the man beautiful!

He had just recently graduated from the well renowned Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, but his maturity aged him closer to the witch’s physical age. While most men at the tender age of 18 would be out trying to find themselves, Tom appeared to have already discovered his pathway years before his peers. Beautiful and intelligent? What more could a lonely old woman want? She traced the rim of her glass in thought.

“So Tom, what brings you by my home today? Is there anything I can help you with?”

Tom smirked, his hand pushing some of his neatly combed curly black hair out his face as he adjusted himself on the lumpy couch. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that the support beams holding the sofa sturdy were practically nonexistent. One look at the massive ginger seated before him easily provided the answer as to how such a thing occurred.

“No. As I said before, Hepzibah, I just found myself fancying your witty company.” The salesman was graced with a kind smile as he gripped his still steaming cup; taking a big sip.

“That can’t be all though.” She giggled, beside herself that a man half her age was so smitten with her. She winked playfully at the handsome wizard before her.

“C’mon Tom, you can tell me! Is Mr. Burke bothering you for something else that I have stored in my collection?”

Tom gave her yet another small laugh and then sighed softly. 

“I am sorry if you thought this was a business meeting.” He looked away quickly, avoiding Hepzibah's eyes with embarrassment. “I truthfully only came to see you. I can leave though if you feel that this encounter is inappropriate.”

“No, don’t leave Tom.” The woman said quickly, her hand reaching out to touch his. It was soft and warm, making it rather difficult for Hepzibah to pull away. “You are always welcome here.”

Tom seemed to be thinking something over and the witch wondered her attempt to comfort the 18-year-old overstepped some sort of boundary. However, the thought disappeared when Tom grinned; showing Hepzibah two rows of perfect white teeth.

“Thank you. You are most kind.”

“Of course Tom. Like I said previously, you are always welcome here.” 

The salesman drank more of his hot chocolate, appearing to enjoy the silence momentarily before Hokie was summoned once more into the room.

“I need a refill Hokie.” The woman said, handing her servant her empty glass. “Would you like another hot chocolate as well, Tom?”

“Please.”

“Two refills Hokie.” 

The elf gripped both glasses in her small hands as she bowed respectively. She prepared to vanish when Hepzibah stopped her at the last moment. 

“Oh, put marshmallows in mine.”

“Yes, mistress.” The servant responded, unaware that as she did another bow, Tom’s half-full glass slid out of her calloused hand. It crashed onto the ground, spilling its contents and shattering into small pieces.

“I am so sorry madam! Please forgive me! I will clean this up right now!”

As Hepzibah’s attention rested solely on the shaking house-elf bowing apologetically, Tom felt himself pondering on the incompetence of the woman’s servant. If the adult wasn’t so determined to keep himself in the witch’s good graces, he would have sent an "Avada Kedavra" flying at the failure of an elf. Honestly, Tom couldn’t understand why Hepzibah allowed such an insult to occur without punishment. But he just assumed that she was about as smart as she was attractive.

“I apologize in regards to my servant, Hokie. She is getting more accident-prone as she is getting older.” Hepzibah said dismissingly, her eyes back to her smiling guest. Hokie had finally stopped her pitiful apologies and was diligently working cleaning up the mess she had allowed to happen. “As soon as she is finished cleaning, Hokie will bring us our refills of Coco.”

“There is no need to apologize. Unexpected situations occur all the time.” Tom smoothly replied. He gave his host another award-winning grin. “After all not everyone can be as lucky to age as gracefully as you.”

Hepzibah let out a high laugh that reminded Tom of one of his young female admirers during his school days. He did not allow his charm to falter, but deep down the salesman felt annoyance at the shrill noise.

“Oh, Tom. You are much too kind to an old beautiful woman, like me.”

“As always, I live only to speak the absolute truth, Hepzibah.”

The woman battered her obvious fake eyelashes at his response, obviously enjoying the way the conversation was going. Tom had long since discovered the old hag’s flaws. One of the bigger ones was her narcissistic personality. To say, the witch disgusted him was a grave understatement.

Hepzibah continued to stare almost in a dream-like state at Tom, even after her worthless elf stood up, grabbed the unbroken mug and vanished from the room. The salesman resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

“You are quite the charmer Tom.” The old woman said finally. “I have to wonder how many other ladies you have swooned.” 

The response caused Tom to feign confusion before pointing to himself. His believable action caused Hepzibah another shrill laugh. 

“Alright, you don't have to tell me.” She managed between chuckles. “Tell me this though, has Mr. Burkes been able to find a buyer for the goblin armor you convinced me to sell awhile back?”

“From what I have been informed of, my employer has indeed been granted a few generous offers from potential buyers. So far he has not chosen one.”

“I see. You received a fine compensation for that signed deal, right Tom? I just want to be sure you weren’t cheated out of your dues. I remember hearing from Devon Scott, the other employee that use to stop by periodically, that Bornes and Bourkes had a habit of cheating their workers out of their earned dues.”

The salesman didn't hesitate with his answer. He had no reason to withhold the answer to his companion's questions. It wasn't like the requested information was interesting to Tom anyway.

"I am privileged to inform you that whatever this Mr. Scott said is false when it comes to my situation, as I was handsomely provided both compensation from our deal, as well as a weekly bonus and a job promotion."

Tom paused, choosing his next words carefully as he felt his tone may have been harsh.

"But I am however appreciative of your concern. It is very flattering for you to wonder about my wellbeing.” 

Hepzibah acted like she was going to say something. Her mouth opened and then closed as if deciding that whatever nonsense she was going to brew, was worth it or not to share. Curious, Tom took a quick peek at the woman’s thoughts and then quickly shut the mental door. 

Like always Hepzibah's thoughts were filled with her so-called obsession with his appearance. Tom scoffed at the obvious one-sided infatuation. If the woman truly knew him, she would like so many others, attempt to evade him by screaming and running out of the room. Tom found an unstoppable grin rise to his lips at the thought of Hepzibah trying to run.

“What are you thinking about Tom? Whatever it is it must be enjoyable.” 

“Just thinking about you and how enjoyable it is to be in your presence.”

The witch, much to Tom’s annoyance, continued to battle some mental dilemma even after Hokie returned. Her human hands gripped the cup with ease from the servant but did not drink the hot treat. Tom observed both his new mug, which like before was rather plain compared to his host’s, as well as Hepzibah’s strange behavior. 

“Can you keep a secret Tom?” She started, piquing the adult’s interest as she finally took a small sip of her cocoa.

“Of course I can. I must ask though if everything alright. You seem to be struggling internally with something. Might I assist?”

The witch blushed but said nothing in response to Tom's "generosity." Hepzibah just glanced down at Hokie with a determined look. “Bring me my priced heirlooms.”

The wizard could barely contain his excitement at the old hag's choice of words. This was what he had been so patiently waiting for! He had long since figured out that Hepzibah would be his best bet in collecting more worthy rare artifacts to store pieces of his soul in. 

It wasn’t a compliment towards the woman’s intellect at all. It was rather a logical fact since it was well known by all the sales employees at Tom's work, that Hepzibah was a greedy hoarder.

When Hokie finally reappeared, she had two boxes in her hands. The elf bowed and lowered her eyes as Hepzibah retrieved the small box on the top. The old woman did not open it but instead kept the package gently in her lap. 

“Hokie, open the medium box for Mr. Riddle to view.”

Hokie bowed, complying as always to her owner’s bidding. She slowly lifted the lid to reveal a beautiful golden goblet. Tom could tell the cup was old. A relic of ancient times was indeed special and worthy of the wizard's greater mission. He found himself mesmerized by the object but struggled to see its true worth in the velvet it was encased in.

“May I?” He politely asked Hepzibah. When the witch eventually nodded Tom found himself relieved. He found his fingers holding the goblet up and tracing the detailed pattern in silent interest.

“Helga Hufflepuff’s cup,” Hepzibah said slowly. Tom for the first time since he met the woman found himself listening intently to her words. “It's an ancient heirloom that has been passed down through my family for generations.”

“It's beautiful.” He muttered carefully placing the historic artifact back into the box. 

Tom then found his eyes trailing to the small box in his "friend’s" lap. He waited patiently for his companion to make the first move, but once again after searching her thoughts, he found that Hepzibah was struggling with sharing the knowledge. 

It was a locket, that Tom could figure out, but its significance still evaded the young man. He physically pushed the image to the forepart of her mind; forcing her brain to respond to his subtle guidance. He smirked inwardly when the witch's unsure expression changed into confidence. A sign that his mental probing was proving successful.

The woman sighed loudly before opening the box and holding the gleaming locket up for Tom to have a better view. After a few seconds, Hepzibah, still under Tom’s slight influence, set the locket in his eager hands. 

Tom immediately noticed that like the goblet, the locket was beautiful and ancient. The only difference between the two was that this artifact called to him. He realized that like his dead uncle’s ring, the locket held between his fingers was his birthright. The feeling of recognition that this was relic was once owned by his ancestor, Salazar Slytherin, washed over him. 

“Will you promise you won’t tell Mr. Burke I got it?” Hepzibah started, breaking Tom from his concentration. The 18-year-old had truthfully forgotten that the witch was still there. “He would never let me rest if he knew I’d shown it to you, and I’m not selling, not Burke, not to anyone!”

A wicked gleam fell upon Tom’s face at his "friend's" claim. He allowed it to stay on his handsome features before fading into a kind smile.

“Of course Hepzibah. This will be our little secret.”

She smiled relief flooding through her old body at the promise. Their hands met briefly as Tom begrudgingly handed her back the locket. The valuable piece was quickly placed back into its former packaging and handed to Hokie. 

“You may return them to their previous location Hokie.” 

“Yes, madam.” The elf whispered, vanishing to the artifact’s origin locations. Tom found himself silently wondering where the treasury room was in Hepzibah's huge house even was. 

He decided he would use the elf for gathering the information. After her pitiful blunder earlier, he felt it was more than reasonable for her to suffer. Plus, Tom didn’t have it in him to deal with Hepzibah anymore and was already devising plans to ensure her “accidental” death

The said woman seemed to misinterpret Tom’s silence as flabbergasted awe and smiled.

“I felt the same way when I first held those relics too. Truly wonderful, aren’t they?”

“Yes, they are truly magnificent. I am grateful that you allowed me to see such beautiful rarities.”

“There are many more rarities out there that I still need to possess Tom and every day I am getting closer to obtaining them.”

Tom couldn’t quite figure out the tone the hag had used in her last remark. He decided after a few seconds that it didn’t matter. Hephizah’s use had run out when she had so stupidly shown him the locket. He didn’t need to hear anything else from the naive woman. If anything, Tom Riddle was busy thinking up a reasonable excuse to leave. There was no point in pursuing this “friendship” anymore.

“Well, it’s getting late Tom and there are still some things I have to complete before the day is over.” 

“I understand.” The salesman said, standing up at the realization that the witch was in the process of starting her long and pointless goodbyes.

“But before you go,” Hepzibah said with a sudden twinkle in her eyes. She suddenly held her mug out towards Tom. “to success.”

A brief image of a messy room stacked with gold and jewels flickered through Tom’s head. He tried to discover the image's location but found it gone as quickly as it had come. 

He smirked at the knowledge that room he had mentally seen was most likely the old hag's treasure room. Tom disguised his overall pleasure by looking at the cup held outstretched in the aging woman's fat fingers. The salesman was going to kill her. Why not honor her last request?

“To success.” He repeated out loud, grabbing his still filled mug and clicking the glass with hers. He followed his companion's example and took a big gulp of the cocoa, completely missing the small smirk that appeared on the old face.

It all happened so fast after that. One minute Tom was standing, confident, proud and determined. The next he was on the ground looking up at the massive woman, suddenly unable to feel his body or his magic. Stars wove in and out of his vision as he struggled to keep himself aware of his surroundings. 

With what consciousness Tom had left, the 18-year-old realized that he had been given "Mobilium" a tasteless, odorless cognition that was a powerful magic barricade and effective body paralyzer. He recognized the symptoms of the powerful elixir due to his experimentation with the potion during his last few years of schooling. Mobilium was not a widely known brew, or so Tom thought. Either way, the knowledge of the effects would not help him now since he stupidly chugged the hot chocolate, in hopes that the faster it was gone the sooner he could leave. 

Tom's rage only peaked when he noted that his pride had allowed him to be in the current humiliating predicament. It didn't help that of all people to see him in such a state was foolish ugly Hepzibah Smith! He somehow forced his head up plastering a terrified look on his face, hoping that the witch would pity him if he showed her fear.

“What are you doing Hepzibah?! This is beyond improper! Please release me this instant!” 

Tom winced at the way his voice sounded. It didn’t sound innocently fearful in the slightest. His aggravation at being restrained like a common Muggle caused his voice to sound more threatening than he intended. 

“I told you that there are still treasures out there that I need to collect Tom,” Hepzibah said calmly, yet there was a hint of excitement in her voice. He heard her shout briefly for Hokie before continuing. “I just wasn’t excepting one to continuously keep walking through my door so easily.”

Her voice was weaving in and out of Tom’s consciousness, so much that he barely registered that there was a second voice until he felt himself being slowly dragged briefly across the room. A small hand touched his shoulder before he vanished, Hepzibah’s last sentence playing in his mind.

“Take him to where all the other finery pieces go. Oh and Hokie, do be gentle. A man as beautiful as Tom is a rarity.” 

If he looked at all like his mother this ordeal wouldn’t have happened. Curse his filthy Muggle father's genetics.


	2. The Treasure Room

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom Riddle gets his wish and finds himself in Hepzibah Smith's treasure room. The only two issues are, one, that the witch's house-elf Hokie is obviously under orders not to let him leave and two, that Tom is in no position to make her change her mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone!
> 
> Sorry for the late update! Work has really been picking up for me in the last week or so and that has really been cutting into my writing time. Hopefully, my schedule will eventually slow down. Things have been crazy as of late!
> 
> Anyway, here's the second chapter of All That Glitters is NOT Gold! 
> 
> I hope everyone reading enjoys and leaves some more much-needed reviews! Wink wink. :)
> 
> Thank you!!

The first thing Tom noticed when he arrived in the room was the massive piles of golden coins and other priceless jewels. He also noticed that Hepzibah's "treasure room" wasn't that large of a room. It was medium-sized and was rather crowded with all the dusty piles of various trinkets.

“House-elf! I demand that you release me from this accursed state this minute!” 

“My apologies, Sir. But Hokie is afraid that she cannot do that.”

He tried to shake his leg out of her tiny grasp but to his hidden embarrassment found his body unresponsive. He didn't want to think about where the elf was dragging him and instead focused his energy on searching for the locket's box. Much to his annoyance, the only thing that somewhat caught his attention was an ugly gold studded rubber duck that made Tom's disgust of Hepzibah only grow. 

The servant had a peaceful look on her face as she suddenly ceased in pulling him further. Tom noticed there was another pile of gold coins behind her. The only difference with this heap was that the pile appeared collapsed on one side, golden trinkets messily lining the nearby ground. Tom's attention was quickly brought back to Hokie when she suddenly appeared on his right side. Her aged hands wasting no time in gently grabbing the human’s wrist, and guiding the arm so that it bent downwards on the salesman's chest. 

“Filth! Unhand me!” The 18-year-old screamed at the unwanted touch. It was a minor setback that Tom's magic and body movements were blocked, but for a filthy lowly creature like Hokie to think it proper to touch him was almost too much to bear.

To his disgust though, Tom realized that no matter how much he tried to fight the situation at hand, he was ultimately at the house-elf's mercy. He could only watch as she quickly apparated onto his left side, grabbing his other wrist, and positioning it downward so that Tom's hands were near touching. 

“Hokie is sorry for this forward motion, sir.”

Tom didn’t have time to answer that she would be, before Hokie sat down on his chest, knocking out the air in his lungs with her quick movement. 

“Get off of me you dirty creature!” Tom yelled in between coughs. He glared at the elf perched atop him, willing his knowingly immobilized body to move just for a moment so that he could beat the servant off of him. However, like all other times, Tom’s attempt to regain control proved useless.

“Didn’t you hear me? I said get off of me!” 

For a moment Tom thought that the filthy servant would oblige to his demand. A smirk started to sneak on his face at the thought. But it quickly vanished when the elf snapped her fingers and a huge roll of Spellotape appeared in her hands. The wizard couldn’t stop himself from widening his eyes at the display in front of him. She wouldn't dare. Would she?

“Again Hokie is sorry for this forward motion, Sir.”

Tom was forced to witness as Hokie proceeded to wrap the tape around his slender wrists. The wizard counted 6 loops before he felt the sticky substance wrap in between his two hands, further tightening the already placed bonds. His shock finally wavered enough to allow his mouth to form words.

"What are you doing?! How dare you touch me!! I order you to stop!"

Hokie's lack of an answer, only added to Tom's fury. He couldn't seem to stop the curses that flew from his mouth. It didn't matter what the slave thought of him anyway. Afterall she would be joining Hepzibah in hell when he got himself free.

The 18-year-old was just starting to curse in Parseltongue when the elf slowly brought the Spellotape to his face. Tom's face paled at the action, completely overlooking the fact that he could feel numbness in his hands.

“Don’t you dare!” He warned when Hokie gently positioned one side of the tape on his cheek. “I’m warning you! You filthy little mrphhhhmjjjj!!!!” 

Tom’s yell was continuous, his fingers angrily fidgeting in their bindings, as Hokie wrapped layer after layer around the lower part of the man’s face. She was extremely careful not to get any of the wizard's black curls stuck in the adhesive when she lifted his head. Once Tom's muffled screams were nearly muted, Hokie apparated off the salesman and proceeded to try to force him into a seated position.

Hokie couldn't hear his insults anymore but could feel the hatred emitting off the captive. She involuntarily shuddered as she struggled with positioning his still heavy body. Much to their mutually shared frustration, Tom's immobilized form ended up falling back onto the ground numerous times before Hokie somehow maneuvered him so that he could use the gold pile behind them as back support. 

The wizard barely heard the sorry after he was situated, before he felt the tape loop more around his wrists and slowly around his elbows. Tom closed his eyes, scrunching up his handsome face as he tried to savor the tingles in his fingertips. He focused on them as he felt Hokie move the wrap to his waist and then to his upper shoulders. The several layers of tight tape in the various areas effectively prevented Tom's pinned arms from receiving any former wiggle room. 

The elf then gently pushed the wizard back down onto the ground, noticing that Tom’s eyes had an almost feral look to them as she kneeled and began taping the human’s ankles tightly together. 

She glanced at the enraged wizard with a look that she hoped was comforting. “Please don’t worry about your fate, Sir." She said in between soft grunts. "Madam, won’t hurt you. Her goal is just to collect and observe.”

Tom's only response was to slowly squirm. The body paralyzing part of the elixir was starting to wear off, allowing the human's struggles to become increasingly more visible. With some effort, Hokie managed to bend the man's legs to keep the salesman on the ground. She secured the position with various amounts of tape above and below his knees.

Hokie had just started to back up when Tom's foot nearly collided with her face. She counted her lucky stars that the 18-year-old missed. Hokie, however, wasn't spared from the venomous glare that the wizard's red eyes rewarded her with. She felt herself tremble at the overwhelming dread that overtook her small frame.  
If looks could kill, Hokie did not doubt that she would have been dead in an instant.

"Hokie will be back soon Sir." She said with a bow, forcing herself to look away from the deadly look. "Until Hokie does, please make yourself welcome." 

With a loud pop, Hokie with secret relief vanished from the treasure room. Leaving the struggling form of Tom Riddle momentarily helpless and pondering his predicament.

**Author's Note:**

> If you enjoyed reading, please give this story a REVIEW, KUDO and/or BOOKMARK!
> 
> Your feedback helps motivate me, a procrastinating author, to keep writing!
> 
> Thank you!!


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